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Boing Boing

When I came to work in West Brom just over five years ago the Baggies were one of my all time worst teams. This was partly due to being a Villa fan. but I think mainly down to following Sheffield United on an away trip back in the mid 90s which started with the coach arriving way to early and having to kill a few hours as a 15 year old around The Hawthorns (really not pleasant at the time), and ended with a 3-0 drubbing for my second best team. Bad day out.

However, since a big part of my life has arrived in West Brom I have developed a real respect and, sorry Villa fans, an affection for West Bromwich Albion. They are a club that work hard, put back into the community, and really lift the local area when they are doing well. I think in my first year here they got relegated but then came straight back up and it was great to be around the town when they got promoted.

But waking up this morning to the news that they’ve gone and sacked Steve Clarke is a bit of a shock. I mean, come on West Brom, if you’re expecting to be a top-half team year after year then I think you’re a bit deluded. Clarke has done a great job for you, you’re stable and had some great results and performances. I know it worked great for Southampton dumping Nigel Adkins last year, the man who had got them promoted twice, but I must say it seems really cruel. I just wish footballers got sacked after having 4 poor performances.

Anyway, I still want you Baggies to stay up but I’ll think it quite deserved if you do continue to struggle. And I hope the board feel guilty for making a nice, hard working man unemployed this Christmas.

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5 thoughts on “Boing Boing”

Personally think that sacking Clarke was premature but according to a poll, I’m in a minority of Baggies fans to think that way. It is true that the stats for this calendar year are awful but I hate to see anyone lose their job the week before Christmas. Just hope now that JP has someone lined up to take over. I’d love to see RDM back.

Any coach in professional sports is hired to be fired. While it may seem cruel to do so before the winter holiday time seems inappropriate. Welcome to the real world. Plenty of big box and other retail stores, will be laying off workers to avoid paying them a few dollars more in statutory holiday pay. There is a sort of strange sentiment around the Christian celebration of their messiah’s official birthday. One that the rest of the world ignores. Likely down to Charles Dickens? Who exemplified much of Victorian society’s cruelty, in his books. Popular reading of the day. Organized labour worked hard to bring about change to labour laws. People today take it for granted, that days off like Christmas and Boxing days. Should be honoured. Yet, the same society looks for the cheapest products. Belittling the unions. Which translates to dubious labour practices.

That Mr. Clarke loses his job after a loss to Cardiff City, should be no big surprise? It’s a results driven business. You can’t sack the players, en masse. So the manager or coach is the one fired. To send a message to the players, that changes are coming. If di Matteo is hired? He might be a good manager to take over. He does have a UEFA championship in his resume. The new manager has little time to right the ship.

As sad as it may be to see the previous manager of W.B.A. go? It is more sad to know that a few million more workers living on the edge, will be joining him in the unemployed ranks next week. Which is more of a shame. A black-eye to the politicians, who allow this exploitation to continue. Trickle down economy does not work. For the trickle is becoming a slow drip. One that Ebenezer Scrooge and his ilk, would be proud of.

Hirundine – yes I love you’re perspective and it is so true. Football is good fun, and can be inspirational and make a difference, and I guess is a reflection of society. But the real nitty gritty and important issues really aren’t what happens to one fairly well off man. There are much more important things to remember and reflect on this Christmas.

Football or as it’s called soccer. Here in Canada and N. America. Is okay as a sport. My father was an Arsenal fan. I and my son are too. Spectator sports in general are used by authority as a way of avoiding social unrest. Likely one of the first to learn this was Caligula? The roman emperor, who discovered he could get away with almost any outrage. By keeping the arenas open and a full slate of entertainment. That and free food, in the shape of bread, for the attendees. This was learnt by his nephew, Nero, who did similar. Nero, who even burned down a large section of Rome, to make way for his palace. Which proved even too much, for the arena bound citizens to swallow.

Following any sports team is fun. Yet playing a sport; whether footie, ice-hockey or some others less well known. Sports like fencing, or martial arts, tai chi, etc. Are way more fun to actually do.